Things went back to normal between the three friends. Farkle even came back to visit once. They were all excited to see eachother again.

Lucas and Maya were still happily together, and Riley had found someone else to obsess over. His name was Ethan, and (according to Maya) he was just like Riley. They both saw the best in people, and they were both socially awkward. He was a little shy, but once he got an earful of Maya's teasing, he became almost as competitive as her.

Farkle found someone, too. They Skyped the two one day, and were surprised to see that Caroline wasn't like Farkle at all. She had short brown hair, but that was where the similarities ended. She wore glasses, and fancy clothes. She was tall, and he had to stand on his toes just to kiss her. They all laughed at that - their friend had always been short.

There were definitely up sides to the friendship between the four, but there were downsides, too. Lucas had knee surgery after tearing his ACL in baseball, and Farkle couldn't be there for him. Riley's brother, Auggie, got pneumonia for three weeks. That scared the hell out of them all. And Maya kept getting poorer.

He found her going through a trash can once. She denied everything, saying she 'lost her bracelet' even though everyone knew the only jewelry she wore was her locket. After that, he and Riley began slipping her extra food when she was around them. But the extra food scraps weren't enough.

She passed out once on a date with him, because of her low blood sugar. He rode with her, all the way to the hospital, leaving her side only once (to buy a Hershey's bar in case she was hungry when she woke up). Riley came minutes later, frantically apologizing for being so late, although she arrived barely seven minutes after he did. Maya woke up an hour later, and it turned out he was right - she did want the chocolate.

She lifted her head sleepily. "Lucas?"

"Hey, Princess." He looked at her worriedly. "How ya doin'?"

She squinted a little, as if she couldn't see him clearly. "I'm fine. Hungry."

He held out the bar for her. "Brought you this."

She reached out for it shyly, but he pulled it back before she could grab it. "First, I think you owe me something. For scaring me so badly."

She smiled a little, motioning for him to come closer. He leaned in, and she gently kissed his cheek. "How's that?"

He grinned, handing her the candy. "Perfect."

Their lives were perfect. Until they considered college. Clearly, Maya wouldn't be able to afford it, and she wouldn't take money from anyone else. Furthermore, she kept disappearing, giving her friends no clues as to where she was. Finally, the summer ended, and Riley left for the University of Oregon. Lucas planned to leave a little later in the year, choosing the University of California. Berkeley. Maya stayed silent whenever he brought up college, and eventually he learned to not bring it up. Their last date before he left was magical - chocolate covered strawberries and two tuna melts from the NightHawk Diner. And then he was gone.

He woke up, crawling silently out of bed so as not to wake his roommate. He yawned, searching his (still packed) bag for a pair of clean socks. When he couldn't find any, he just turned his old pair inside out.

He lazily checked his phone, confusion clouding his mind when he saw a text from Maya.

Truth or dare?

He smiled, knowing it was her favorite game. He texted back quickly.

Dare.

Her reply was almost instant.

Dare you to go to the ground floor of whatever building you're in and wait for five minutes.

?

I won't text back until you do.

Sighing, he threw on a shirt and trudged down the stairs. He sat in the ground floor of the building for three minutes before receiving another text.

Now you ask me.

He raised an eyebrow.

Ok. Truth or dare?

Truth.

Where are you right now?

There was a long pause before she answered, which only added to his suspicion.

The library. Truth or dare?

He bit his lip. She was up to something.

Dare.

OK. Walk outside.

He did as he was told. He shivered as he sent another text.

That all?

Not quite. Turn around.

He turned slowly, only to see a cowboy hat laying on the ground.

Maya…

Walk back inside.

Maya, please tell me what I'm thinking is right.

I'm not a psychic, Lucas. I dunno what you're thinkin

He rolled his eyes and walked inside, trying not to let his nervousness show. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned, catching a hint of blonde hair disappear in the corner of his eye.

"Gotcha."

She was standing behind him, wearing the cowboy hat he'd gotten her. At first the two didn't do anything - they just stared at each other. Finally, he gathered the courage to walk to her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm scared. If I touch you, will you disappear?"

She laughed at his tentativeness. "Of course not."